There is a need for methods of teaching science through socio-scientific issues such that students learn both subject matter and its relation to social and moral aspects. The purpose of the project is to develop didactic models in which questions about risk and risk assessment are used to support the integration of subject matter and values in students' reasoning. The models will be tested in 16 cycles of planning, teaching and analysis in four different subjects (Biology, Physics, Chemistry and Science Studies) in two upper secondary schools with different student backgrounds. Primary data will include video recordings of teaching, participatory observation and the teacher's logbook notes. Data will be analyzed with formal methods for analysis of student learning and classroom interaction as well as through the teacher's regular work with teaching and assessment. The didactic models are evaluated and modified based on how they contribute to students' learning of the subject and how subject matter knowledge and values are integrated in students’ reasoning and meaning-making. By integrating results from the two schools, the models are gradually given increasing generality and functionality. The project's research questions are:
-How do values and subject matter interact in students’ reasoning about risks in socio-scientific issues in high-school science subjects?
- How can teaching about risk assessment support students' learning of science coupled to social issues?
